LAST year Wiltshire enjoyed their best run in the inter-county championship for several seasons.

Winners of the competition in 1986, Wiltshire had the distinction of reaching the final stages of the Middleton Cup at Worthing for only the third time in their history.

However, they went out in the semi-finals 116-110 to arch rivals Devon, who went on to beat Lincolnshire in the final by six shots.

Aiming to build on that successful run, the county will play three Middleton Cup trial matches, two at home this weekend, against Somerset and Oxfordshire, and the other against Hampshire the following weekend.

The teams for the first two trials at Wootton Bassett are:

Saturday, May 8, v Somerset

Rink 1: John Thomas (Westlecot); Miles Roberts (Purton); Steve Heseltine (Chippenham T), Neil Hope (Westlecot).

Rink 2: Mike Tyler, John Ellis, Mick Crook (Amesbury), Gary Morphet (Rodbourne Cheney).

Rink 3: Barry Sictoness, Rob Clews (Wootton Bassett), Nick Grenfell (Box) and Steve Snell (WB).

Rink 4: Richard Hindley (Wilton), Mike Savin (Chip T), Terry Spreadbury (Ames), Billy McCay (Chip T).

Rink 5: Jason White (Marlborough), Paul Macdonald (Spencer Moulton), John Lucas (Chip T), Dave Snell (WB).

Rink 6: Arran Tucker (SM), Des Rideout (Westlecot), John Williamson (WB), Russell Francis (SM).

Sunday, May 9, v Oxfordshire

Rink 1: Malcolm Webb (Holt), Nigel Price (Cooper-Avon), Steve Snell (WB), Neil Hope (Westlecot).

Rink 2: Jason White (Marl), Jeff Nichols, Graham Hatherall, Mike Jackson (all Westlecot).

Rink 3: Michael Snell, Rob Clews (WB), John Lucas (Chip T), Steve Warren (Westlecot).

Rink 4: Arran Tucker (SM), David Godwin (Trowbridge Town), Russell Francis (SM), Keith Hutchens (Westinghouse).

Rink 5: Kevin Embling (West), John Webb (Alderbury), Terry Spreadbury (Ames), Billy McCay (Chip T).

Rink 6: Mike Tyler (Ames), Bob Tanner (Downton), Ian Williams (Purton), Neil Smith (Westlecot).

The final trial will be against Hampshire at Southampton on May 16.

The selectors will then name the squad to play in the South Midlands group in the Middleton Cup against Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Warwickshire.

Wilts won the group last season and then defeated Oxfordshire in the quarter-finals to reach Worthing.